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Stratford upon Avon Sea Cadets celebrated the 100^th anniversary of Women in the Naval Service with a special Divisions night. 

‘We have a high proportion of girls within TS Gurkha so it seemed appropriate to highlight this anniversary’ explained Officer in Charge, Lt Roger Edmunds. ‘However it’s not just about the girls.  Just like the Royal Navy, Sea Cadets is fully inclusive, regardless of who you are and we are very proud of that fact.’      

TS Gurkha decided to hold their event to coincide with International Women’s Day and invited Lt Cdr Suzanne Lynch, a Royal Navy Officer to attend as a VIP.

Lt Cdr Lynch gave a presentation on her recent posting to Djibouti in the Horn of Africa where she worked on Operation Atalanta, a counter-piracy naval operation.  She told the cadets about the positive effect that the Royal Navy where having in protecting humanitarian aid so that those in need the most get help and support. 

‘It was a very interesting evening’ said Chris Wheeler, Vice Chair ‘This is an area of naval operations that many of the cadets are unfamiliar with.’

The celebrations were completed with the cutting of an anniversary cake, which was shared by all.

Ordinary Cadet, Charlotte Drinkwater from TS Gurkha is celebrating after successfully completing her 2^nd Class Marine Engineering (ME) qualification at Sea Cadet Training Centre, Weymouth.

Charlotte, aged 16, discovered an interest in engineering when she went offshore in 2015 with the Sea Cadet Corps on one of their power-training ships, TS Jack Petchey.  ‘We went down to the engine room and learned how the ship worked.’ Charlotte said.  ‘I realised that engineering could be an option for me when I left school.’

Charlotte quickly took her basic (3^rdClass) ME but was very keen to progress to the next level. 

This time the training was much more intense and involved two weekends away in Weymouth.  ‘We arrived on the Friday Evening and began with a briefing.  Actual lessons and practicals started the next morning and ran from 8.30am through to 11pm at night.  At the end of the second weekend we had to sit an exam and the pass mark was quite high.’  Charlotte explained. ‘It was hard work and very challenging.  I am just so pleased that I passed.’

The course covered a variety of engineering subjects including principles and performance, governors and clutches, engine and electrical systems, fuel systems, wiring diagrams, start and fault finding, lubrication and cooling systems, electromagnetism and Health and Safety.

Charlotte is now hoping to move on to her 1^st class qualifications in mechanical and electrical engineering which she will hopefully complete next year with Sea Cadets.  She is also due to start engineering at college in September.

Lt Roger Edmunds, Commanding Officer at Stratford Sea Cadets said. ‘This is a perfect example of how training and experiences at Sea Cadets can generate an interest that can lead to a valuable career.  We are really pleased for Charlotte.  It is a tough course.’

Going forward Stratford Sea Cadets hope to be able to have their own ME instructor so that the basic qualification can be offered more locally.  More Stratford Cadets would then have the opportunity to progress in this engineering, giving them a valuable advantage should they wish to pursue a career with one of the many engineering based companies that there are within the region.